The parasitic plant dwarf mistletoe(Arceuthobium) is currently one of the most threatening infestations of coniferous forests worldwide,especially in Eurasia and North America,but its population dynamics in relation t...The parasitic plant dwarf mistletoe(Arceuthobium) is currently one of the most threatening infestations of coniferous forests worldwide,especially in Eurasia and North America,but its population dynamics in relation to one of its hosts(spruce) remain unclear.Here,toward understanding the population dynamics,differential equations were used to construct a life history model for the two populations,and two relatively independent subsystems,host and parasite,were generated from their symbiotic relationships.A suspected-infection model was used to couple them.The resulting models were used to analyze structural changes in the forest.When each infected spruce was assumed to support 1000 parasite shoots,the spruce population first increased rapidly,then slows.When 2000 parasite shoots were assumed,the forest declined dramatically,slipping to zero in the 10 th year,and the spruce seedlings were unable to regenerate.Parasite shoot population curves transformed from exponential J-shapes to logistic S-shapes,reaching population limitations as germination rates changed.These results provide important clues to understanding developmental trends of the present parasite population and will assist in reconstructing invasion histories.展开更多
De-icing salt contamination of urban soil and greenspace has been a common issue of concern in many countries for years. In the 2009/2010 winter, Beijing experienced a contamination accident resulting from the overuse...De-icing salt contamination of urban soil and greenspace has been a common issue of concern in many countries for years. In the 2009/2010 winter, Beijing experienced a contamination accident resulting from the overuse of deicing salt, reported as almost 30000 tons, which severely damaged urban vegetation alongside roadways. The methods of sampling and rating for both soil contamination and response of the plant populations were developed to rapidly assess this emergency environmental event. Results showed that the shrubs were more severely damaged than the arbors in terms of both degree and extent, as almost all of the surveyed shrubs were severely damaged from the salt contamination, while only about 1/4 of the recorded arbors were rated as ＂severely injured＂ according to the integral plant injury index. The rating of the injury level showed that the trees like Pinus bungeana, Sophora japonica, and the shrubs like Euonymus japonicus, Sabina vulgaris showed less tolerance to de-icing salt pollution. The patterns of vegetation damage demonstrated that the ever-green shrubs alongside roads and the deciduous arbors in the center of roads were most vulnerable to the salt damage.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program (2017 YFD0600105)。
文摘The parasitic plant dwarf mistletoe(Arceuthobium) is currently one of the most threatening infestations of coniferous forests worldwide,especially in Eurasia and North America,but its population dynamics in relation to one of its hosts(spruce) remain unclear.Here,toward understanding the population dynamics,differential equations were used to construct a life history model for the two populations,and two relatively independent subsystems,host and parasite,were generated from their symbiotic relationships.A suspected-infection model was used to couple them.The resulting models were used to analyze structural changes in the forest.When each infected spruce was assumed to support 1000 parasite shoots,the spruce population first increased rapidly,then slows.When 2000 parasite shoots were assumed,the forest declined dramatically,slipping to zero in the 10 th year,and the spruce seedlings were unable to regenerate.Parasite shoot population curves transformed from exponential J-shapes to logistic S-shapes,reaching population limitations as germination rates changed.These results provide important clues to understanding developmental trends of the present parasite population and will assist in reconstructing invasion histories.
文摘De-icing salt contamination of urban soil and greenspace has been a common issue of concern in many countries for years. In the 2009/2010 winter, Beijing experienced a contamination accident resulting from the overuse of deicing salt, reported as almost 30000 tons, which severely damaged urban vegetation alongside roadways. The methods of sampling and rating for both soil contamination and response of the plant populations were developed to rapidly assess this emergency environmental event. Results showed that the shrubs were more severely damaged than the arbors in terms of both degree and extent, as almost all of the surveyed shrubs were severely damaged from the salt contamination, while only about 1/4 of the recorded arbors were rated as ＂severely injured＂ according to the integral plant injury index. The rating of the injury level showed that the trees like Pinus bungeana, Sophora japonica, and the shrubs like Euonymus japonicus, Sabina vulgaris showed less tolerance to de-icing salt pollution. The patterns of vegetation damage demonstrated that the ever-green shrubs alongside roads and the deciduous arbors in the center of roads were most vulnerable to the salt damage.
